Seed-cleaner



Patented Oct; l8, I898.

W. A. RICE. SEED CLEANER. (Application filed Oct. 29, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet L (No Model.)

A TTOHNEYS No. 6|2,674. ,Patented Oct. l8, I898. W. A. RICE.

SEED CLEANER.

(Application filed Oct. 29. .1897. (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

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IVILLIAM A. RICE, OF JERSEYVILLE, ILLINOIS.

SEED-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,674, dated October 18, 1898:.

Application filed October 29, 1897.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. RICE, of J erseyville, in the county of Jersey and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Seed-Cleaner, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an Improvement in cleaning devices which is applicable to cleaning most forms of grain, and particularly to seeds of such character as clover-seed.

The invention consists, essentially, of an endless belt passing about rollers and at one or more points in itscourse up an incline, the seed being delivered upon the belt at the bottom of the incline and being prevented from passing up the incline by gravity, while the foreign matter is caught by the belt and carried over a roller.

The inventionconsists of certain novel constructions, which will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. A I l Reference is to behad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an end view of my device, showing the means for operating the rollers. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof, and Fig. 4 is a front elevation.

The device is mounted in a rectangular frame A, which is suitably braced by means of the end boards A and the diagonal braces A or in any other suitable manner. ounted to turn upon journals at each end of this frame are a series of rollers B and B, which are arranged in pairs, the diiferent pairs be ing arranged in a vertical line. 40

In addition to these rollers two idler-rollers B are mounted at the top and bottom of the frame. About these rollers passes an endless belt 0, which passes beneath the lower roller B of each pair and over the upper roller B of each pair. The direction of the belt is shown by the arrows and is such .that the belt passes up an incline in passing from the roller B to the roller B. The rollerB is spirally grooved, as shown clearly in Fig.

Upon the upper partand at one end of the frame is mounted a hopper H, which receives $erial 1N0.- 656,788. (No model.)

A the seed to be cleaned. The hopper is provided with a slide H',which may be adjustedso as to regulate the amount of the feed. To the bottom of this hopper are connected two pipes h and h, the pipe h discharging into the first trough, formed'by the roller B and theupwardly-inclined section 0 of the belt 0. The discharge from the hopper is close to the roller B and at one edge of the belt. The incline of the belt is such as to prevent seeds which are smooth and round, similar to clover, wheat, and grass seeds, from being carried upward by the progress of the belt. They will roll down toward theroller B, while seeds which are flat or have barbed projections will lieupon or catch in thematerial of the belt and be carried up and over the roller B. They will then be scraped off of the belt by the scraper D, which is mounted so as to engage the under surface of the belt. The roller B, being spirally grooved, as shown in Fig. 3, will gradually work the seed toward the opposite side of the belt, from which it will be discharged. At this point it is caught in curved spouts E, which are provided with a dischargetube 6, extending down the end of the machine and then inwardly, so as to discharge the seed upon a lower section of the belt, as shown at c.

The discharge-pipe h, leading from the hopper H discharges upon the first inclined sec tion 0 of the belt, while the pipe h, leading from the hopper, discharges upon the second inclined section 0. Similarly the spouts e discharge upon the lower inclined sections 0'. The lower rollers B have the spiral groove formed therein opposite to those of the upper rollers, so that the feed of the grain is in an opposite direction. This results in conveying the grain twice across the width of the belt, when it is discharged through the spouts K.

The upper idler-roller B is journaled in a box I), mounted to slide in vertical guides. These boxes are supported by screw-threaded bars b, which are journaled in the frame and provided at their upperends with cranks, by which they may be turned so as to tighten the belts, as may be necessary. The outer ends of the journals of the rollers 13' are provided with sprocket-wheels F, which are en 'tiplying the number of gaged by a common chain f. Between the center ones of these sprocket-wheels is mounted an idler F, which holds the chain in close engagement with the sprocket-wheels.

The operation of the device is as follows: The seed or grain is first placed in the hopper H and the feed regulated in amount. The rollers are turned by means of the crank I, which is attached to the shaft of one of the rollers, or by any other suitable means. The shaft revolves all the rollers and traverses the belt in the direction indicated by the arrows. The seed from the hopper H is dis charged upon the two upper inclined sections 0 of the belt. The upward motion of the belt has a tendency to carry the seed upward. Round and smooth seeds, such as clover and wheat, will, however, roll down this incline and remain close to the roller 13, while the flat seeds, dirt, chaff, and all seeds or material having barbed projections will engage with the material of the belt, so as to be carried over the roller B, where they are released by means of the scraper G. The seed being held in engagement with the roller B is gradually Worked across the belt and discharged at the opposite side thereof, from whence it is carried by the spouts c to the lower sections of the belt, where the same process is carried on until it is finally discharged by the spouts K.

The material of the belt may be anything which experiment proves to be best suited to this use. I have thus far found that canvas or similar woven material is well suited to this use.

This device will act with great delicacy to separate seeds which by any ordinary process are incapable of separation as, for instance, buckhorn seed from clover. It will act to perfectly separate these seeds. The number of inclines produced by the use of the sets of rollers may be increased indefinitely and the machine be made of greater capacity by mulbelts or increasing their size.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A seed cleaner and separator having a belt moving upward 011 an incline, a feed mechanism discharging upon the lower part of said incline, and a seed-conveyer extending across the belt at the bottom of said incline and causing a lateral transference of the grain thereon, substantially as described.

2. A seed cleaner and separator having a belt moving upward on an incline, and a seedconveyer extending across the belt at the bottom of said incline and causing a lateral tran sference of the seed thereon, substantially as described.

3. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers, a belt passing around them, said belt at one point passing beneath one roller and upward on an incline to the top of another roller and about the same, and means for causing a lateral movement of the seed across the belt at the lower part of said incline, substantially as described.

4. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers, and a belt passing around them, said belt at one point passing beneath one roller and upward on an incline to the top of another roller and about the same, the lower of said rollers having a continuous spiral groove, whereby a lateral transference of the seed is secured, substantially as described.

5. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers, and a belt passing around them, said belt at one point passing beneath one roller and upward on anincline to the top of another roller and about the same, a seed-delivery discharging upon one side of the incline between the two rollers and a transferring device acting upon the seed at the bottom of said inclined portion of the belt, to move it across the belt, substantially as described.

6. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers and a belt passing around them, said belt at one point passing beneath one roller and upward on an incline to the top of another roller and about the same, the first of said rollers having a continuous spiral groove, whereby a lateral transference of the grain is secured, and a seed-delivery discharging upon the belt at the bottom of said incline and next the roller, substantially as described.

7. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers, a belt passing around said rollers and at one point passing beneath one roller and then upward on an incline to the top of another roller and about the same, said lower roller having a continuous spiral groove therein, a feed device discharging upon one edge of the belt above the lower roller, and a scraper engaging the belt from beneath after passing about the second of said rollers, substantially as described.

8. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers, a belt passing around them, said belt at one point passing beneath one roller and upward on an incline to the top of the next roller and about the same, the first of said rollers having a continuous spiral groove, whereby a lateral transference of the grain is secured, a feed device discharging upon one edge of the belt above the lower roller, and a scraper engaging the belt from beneath after passing about the second of said rollers, substantially as described.

9. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers, a belt passing around them, said belt at one point passing beneath one roller and upward on an incline to the top of the next roller and about the same, the first of said rollers having a continuous spiral groove, whereby a lateral transference of the grain is secured, a feed device discharging upon one edge of the belt above the lower roller, a scraper engaging the belt from beneath after passing about the second of said rollers, and

IIO

a seed-delivery discharging upon the belt at the bottom of said incline next to the roller, substantially as described.

10. A seed-cleaner, comprising a series of rollers, a belt passing around them and at one point passing beneath one roller and then upward on an incline to the top of another roller and about the same, a seed-delivery discharging upon said incline just above the lower roller and at one edge of the belt, and means for laterally moving the seed across the belt, substantially as described.

11. A seed-cleaner, comprising a multiple series of rollers arranged in pairs, one pair above another, a belt passing about said rollers, said belt leading on an upward incline from the bottom of one roller of the pair to the top of the other roller of the pair, idler rollers returning the belt from the bottom to the top of the series, and means for feeding:

the seed upon the belt at the bottom of said incline and next to the bottom roller of each pair, substantially as described.

12. A seed-cleaner, comprising a multiple series of rollers arranged in pairs, one pair above another, a belt passing about said rollers, said belt leading on an upward incline from the bottom of one roller of the pair to the top of the other roller of the pair, idlerrollers returning the belt from the bottom. to the top of the series, means for delivering the seed to one side edge of the belt at the bottom of said inclines, andlaterally-transferring means discharging the same at the opposite side, substantially as described.

13. A seed-cleaner, comprisinga multiple series of rollers arranged in pairs, one pair above another, a belt passing about said rollers, said belt leading on an upward incline from the bottom of one roller of the pair to the topof the other roller of the pain-the lower roller of each pairbeing spirally grooved, idler-rollers returning the belt from the bottom to the top of the series, and means for delivering grain to one side edge of the belt at the bottom of said inclines, substantially as described.

WILLIAM A. RICE.

WVitnesses:

GEO. M. SEAGO, JOHN H. BELT. 

